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Türkiye and South Korea have submitted formal requests to participate in the European Union's €150 billion ($176B) SAFE defense program, European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier reportedly confirmed Thursday, setting up a potential confrontation with Greece and Greek Cyprus over Ankara's inclusion.
The Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program, designed to strengthen defense readiness across the 27-member bloc through competitively priced loans, requires unanimous approval from all EU states for non-member participation—a hurdle that may prove insurmountable for Türkiye given existing territorial disputes.
"We have received a formal request from Türkiye, also from South Korea," Commission spokesperson Regnier said, referring to giving their industries access to deals financed by the €150 billion in SAFE loans backed by the European Union.
Greek officials have already expressed opposition to Türkiye's participation in the program, according to Euractiv.
"A state like Türkiye cannot enjoy any benefits, especially on defense matters, from our great European family," Letymbiotis said.
The spokesperson emphasized that the European Commissioner for Defense had recently stated that all 27 member states must agree for candidate countries to access SAFE.
Under SAFE regulations, non-EU countries seeking participation must sign special agreements with Brussels outlining terms, including financial contributions.
Foreign suppliers are initially limited to 35% of contract values for member state procurement.
Regnier noted that Article 16 of the SAFE regulation contains safeguards allowing exclusion of any state undermining the security interests of a member state or the EU as a whole, though he clarified these provisions do not apply "specifically to Türkiye."
"We have safeguards in place to protect the interests of our member states and our industry," Regnier said, adding that the Commission continues to monitor developments closely.
The European Commission has announced preliminary allocations of the €150 billion fund among 19 member states that requested support.
Poland secured the most significant share with €43.7 billion, followed by Romania (€16.68 billion), France and Hungary (€16.21 billion each), and Italy (€14.9 billion).
Other significant allocations include Belgium (€8.34 billion), Lithuania (€6.37 billion), Portugal (€5.84 billion), and Latvia (€5.68 billion). Greece will receive €787 million, while Greek Cyprus has been allocated €1.18 billion.
The EU is currently negotiating with the United Kingdom and Canada to allow their defense industries to participate in the program.
France has expressed reluctance to grant access to Ottawa and London, preferring to support the EU industry rather than allow governments to purchase 100% British or Canadian equipment.
South Korea's application may receive more favorable consideration, as Seoul has become a significant supplier for Europe's rearmament efforts in recent years, particularly to Poland.
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